Former Diplomat Sliunkin Explained Why EU Ambassadors Are in Russia, But Almost None in Belarus

Belarusian and Lithuanian Foreign Ministers Vladimir Makei and Linas Linkevičius in Minsk in 2018

Yesterday, Mariya Kalesnikava, speaking to journalists in Berlin, once again touched upon the situation with ambassadors.

«Why does someone talk to Putin, why are there ambassadors there (in Russia), but not with us? Because these are incomparable things. Putin has been killing Ukraine, Ukrainians for so many years, blood is being shed, it's all done cynically, it's a terrible level of propaganda — these are things beyond good and evil happening now. But they can talk to him [Putin], he can have diplomats. But we cannot,» she questioned.

«Let's talk about diplomacy and diplomatic relations,» Pavel Sliunkin debates.

1. Let's start with basic questions. The level of diplomatic relations is an indicator of interstate relations. When these relations deteriorate, countries can lower the level of their and foreign diplomatic missions. For example, in October 2020, Belarusian authorities recalled their ambassadors from Lithuania and Poland to Minsk and «asked» the ambassadors of Poland and Lithuania to leave the territory of Belarus.

2. Countries can also limit the number of diplomats of a particular state. For example, Belarus has several times reduced the number of US diplomats in the country to a minimum. Or reduced the number of Polish consular staff who issued visas and Pole's Cards to Belarusians.

3. If relations are completely bad, countries can sever diplomatic relations. For example, the US severed diplomatic relations with Cuba and re-established them only decades later. And severed relations with Iran after the Islamic Revolution have not been restored to this day. Georgia and Ukraine severed diplomatic relations with Russia after that country's attack on them. However, even in such cases, given the need to resolve issues with each other, countries often appoint mediators through whom they communicate. Switzerland, for example, performs such a function for Georgia and Russia.

4. The presence or absence of ambassadors is a very important indicator. Ambassadors can expect a higher level of meetings in foreign capitals and have greater weight within the power hierarchies of their countries. However, if there is a desire to negotiate, the absence of ambassadors rarely becomes an obstacle.

For example, in 2020, there was no US ambassador in Belarus, but US Chargé d'Affaires Jennifer Moore regularly met with the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Secretary of the Security Council.

Павялічыць

She even managed to bring US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to Belarus for the first time in February 2020.

Or another example. My friend and colleague Pavel Matsukevich managed to create a friendship group between the parliaments of Belarus and Switzerland, organize a visit to Bern for the Chairman of the House of Representatives Andreichenko, and even receive an official invitation at the level of the President of Belarus to attend the 2020 World Ice Hockey Championship. Although Pavel was not an ambassador, he was a Chargé d'Affaires.

However, the ambassador who succeeded Matsukevich, Alexander Ganevich, has not demonstrated significant successes. Not because he is an unqualified diplomat, but because more significant factors in bilateral relations (war, political prisoners, unprecedented repression for Europe, sanctions, etc.) are such that the very presence of Belarus's ambassador in Bern cannot a priori bring serious results.

Another example: the US is currently conducting high-level negotiations with Iran, although formal diplomatic relations between the countries have not existed for more than 45 years. And in 2015, American negotiations with Iranians led to a historic agreement on the Iranian nuclear program.

In general, as a rule, it's not about ambassadors, but about willingness. And if it exists on both sides, relations can develop even with a Chargé d'Affaires at the head of the mission.

5. Belarus currently has EU country ambassadors — from Hungary and Slovakia. Other EU countries are represented at the level of Chargé d'Affaires. Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó regularly visits Minsk, and Slovak Prime Minister Fico has had talks with Lukashenka on the sidelines of international summits. After 2020, former Belarusian Foreign Ministers Makei and Aleinik had non-public meetings with their European counterparts. Lukashenka received calls from Merkel, Macron, and Pompeo; Makei from Borrell and others.

Communication never stopped, but its intensity and regularity significantly decreased. The main obstacle is not the lack of diplomatic communication, but the positions of the parties on key issues of the bilateral agenda.

6. There is another problem. EU countries (with the exception of Hungary and Slovakia) currently do not recognize Alexander Lukashenka as the President of Belarus. To appoint their ambassador, a state must formally present Lukashenka with credentials (an official document) that explicitly states «To the President of the Republic of Belarus Alexander Lukashenka.» Presenting such a document would be a formal recognition of him as president. That is why almost all EU countries refrain from this step.

For the same reason, the Belarusian authorities did not issue a visa to the appointed US Ambassador to Belarus Julie Fisher in 2021. The US position then was to send Fisher to Belarus and work there, but avoid presenting credentials to Lukashenka.

7. With Vladimir Putin, the situation is different. None of the EU countries have refused to recognize him. They still consider him the President of Russia, who, although he falsified elections and suppressed protests, did not lose them as obviously as Alexander Lukashenka in 2020. Therefore, ambassadors from EU countries work calmly in Russia, presenting their credentials to Putin.

Before the 2020 elections, Lukashenka was in a similar position: EU countries considered the elections in Belarus undemocratic, and the official results as not reflecting the will of the Belarusian people. But Western ambassadors presented their credentials to him, and European governments recognized him as president.

8. The desire of one country to return an ambassador to another is not always reciprocated. Belarus has several times in the history of diplomatic relations stated in closed negotiations that «now is not the time,» when Western countries made such a proposal.

9. And finally, one more story. In 2022, the EU Chargé d'Affaires in Belarus, Evelina Schultz, was detained, in violation of the Vienna Convention, taken to a police station, and held there for about two hours. Symbolically, she was detained for attending a trial of political prisoners,» Pavel Sliunkin concluded.

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